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‘2016 is the year of the robot’, says Institute for Robotic Process Automation

The Institute for Robotic Process Automation (IRPA) has declared 2016 the “year of the robot”.

IRPA, an independent professional association for the robotic process automation (RPA) industry, says 2016 “promises to be a pivotal year for the sourcing marketplace as transformational digital and automation technology both disrupt and enable industries across the globe”.

It adds: “We are standing on the threshold – witnessing the move from hype to reality as advances in emerging technologies converge to create a suite of services and capabilities that has the potential to change business, accelerate business outcomes, reduce cost, create new revenue opportunities and completely redefine how work gets done.”

The US-based knowledge forum has scheduled a series of events, with the next one in 11 days’ time – Outsourcing, automation and innovation seminar series (OAISS), in Dallas, Texas.

Now in its third year, IRPA’s automation innovation conferences focus on real world implementations, covering everything from RPA, cognitive computing to artificial intelligence and its impact on labor and the outsourcing community.

With hundreds of attendees representing Fortune 500 companies, leading industry analysts, consultants and software vendors, the automation innovation conferences bring together all the movers and shakers in a single place.

IRPA addressed what it says are the most pressing and consistent questions throughout the marketplace: where do I start, what do I need, how are these technologies different, what does it matter, and what does the future hold?

“When we launched our first AI Innovation Conference in 2014, we laid the groundwork for understanding what RPA is, and whether it really is different from traditional automation and what’s already out there,” said Raheem Hasan, president and co-founder, IRPA. Attendees came skeptical and left convinced this was going to be the next wave of disruption and innovation.

“Our 2015 conferences, which were standing room only, were all about readiness. Many if not most service providers and advisors now know RPA is real and a required discipline to be relevant in the rapid shift from labor arbitrage to digital labor. Our 2016 conferences are all about reality and the demystification of automation – RPA, cognitive computing and artificial intelligence.”

Chip Wagner, CEO of Alsbridge, says: “The AI Innovation Conference series has been ahead of the curve in terms of envisioning the significance of RPA and identifying the key opportunities and challenges facing both buyers and sellers.

“By bringing together industry leaders, visionaries and real-world practitioners, the programs have generated excitement regarding the possibilities of these game-changing technologies, without resorting to hype and hyperbole. Through the events, we’ve established relationships and gained insights that continue to yield benefits.”

IRPA is teaming up with its sister organization, the Outsourcing Institute, to host the OAISS, which it describes as “a new regional roadshow and roundtable series focused on the intersection of outsourcing, innovation and automation”.